Editor’s Note: To mark the 25th anniversary of the Granville Farmers Market, each week, The Sentinel is spotlighting a different participating market vendor.

Sunbeam Family Farm (“Feeding Your Family One Plant at A Time!”) is very much a family enterprise.

For the past eight years, Sunbeam has also been a fixture at the Granville Farmers Market.

A certified organic vegetable farm located at 3414 Northridge Road in Alexandria, the farm has been operated by Cynthia, Chuck and Ben Dilbone since 2011.

In addition to selling its produce through the Granville Farmers Market and its Alexandria location, Sunbeam also provides produce to several local restaurants.

According to the Sunbeam website, Ben majored in Environmental Studies, where he discovered a “passion for organic farming.”

During a recent Saturday Farmer’s Market, Chuck said he and his wife were originally longtime educators. “I was the high school principal for many years,” he said.

Cynthia spent 37 years as an elementary teacher.

According to the Sunbeam site, while principal at Granville High School, Chuck “pioneered a lunch program that features healthy, fresh and local food.”

He also enjoys canning, pickling and fermenting.

Upon retirement, the couple turned to farming with son Ben.

Chuck said their first Granville Farmer’s Market saw them selling out of radishes, and the enterprise grew from there.

They now also participate in Tuesday Farmers Markets in Granville, and can often be found at the Canal Market in Newark.

Chuck said he is very proud that Sunbeam is a certified organic grower.

Sunbeam also functions as a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture operation, which “is a way to establish a more direct relationship between the farmer and consumer,” according to the Sunbeam website.

In a CSA agreement, members commit to purchasing a share of seasonally grown vegetables for weekly pickup during the growing/selling season from June through October. The arrangement provides a steady supply of fresh for consumers, as well a stable sales channel and better ability to plan and control crop sizes for the farmer.

You can learn more about Sunbeam at its official website http://www.sunbeamfamilyfarm.com/

Or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SunbeamFamilyFarm/?ref=br_rs